Apparatus for manufacturing wire



j('Nvo`Model.) 4 SheetswSheet 1.

I, G. A. DICK. APPARATUS POR MANUFACTURING WIRE, &o., FRGM COPPER.

,872. Patente@ Dem, 1896.

(No Model.) 4 S11eets-Sheet; 2, G. A. DICK. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE, bf., FROM COPPER. No. 572,872.

Patented Deo. 8

(No Model.) 4 Sheets- Sheet 3.

G. A. DICK.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE, 8m., PROM COPPER. No. 572,872. Patented Deo. 8, 1896.

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L" n n 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. CT. A. DGK. APPARATUS POR MANUFACTURING WIRE, zg., FROM COPPER.

(No Modem Patented Deo. 8

v `4 5 thereto.

'Tartan Tarts GEORGE .ALEXANDER DICK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE, 8:.0., FROM COPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letten Patent No. 572,872, dated December 8, 18196. Application filed April 13, 1894. Serial No. 507,428. (No model.)

.To all whom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK, engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at No. 110 Cannon Street, in the city of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Wire, Rods, or Bars from Various Copper Alloys and in Apparatus Therefor, which apparatus vcan be used for making wires, rods, or bars from other alloys or metals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements inv the manufacture of wire, rods, or bars (hollow or solid) from such copper alloys as require a temperature of at least 800o or 900D Fahrenheit to heat them to redness,and which, when so heated, become plastic andmalleable, and, upon cooling, possess the necessary degree of hardness for the article to be produced therefrom.

For example, alloys of copper and zinc, -copper and aluminium, or of copper and zinc combined with small quantities of other metals, such as iron, aluminium, nickel, or mangamese, in or in about the proportions given in the following formula, will answer the purposes of this invention:

o Copper 58 85 3 speiter 4.0 1o

Iron....` 2 Aluminium Total 100 100 100 100 This invention further relates to improvements in apparatus to be employed primarily in the manufacture above referred to; and in order that the said invention may be clearly 4o understood and readily carried into effect I will proceed, aided by the accompanyingdrawings, fully to describe the same.

In the drawings, Figure lis a sectional plan of an apparatus having my invention applied Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 of part of the apparatus, but showing more clearly the ar-` rangement of the die and also the issuingy rod.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the die separately.

5o Fig, 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1, but showin'gthe die removed.

Fig. 6 is an opposite end elevation thereof. Fig. 7 represents a plan of the check-disk. Fig. 8 is a transverse section thereof, and Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views representing 55 slight modificatins in the form thereof, and Fig. 1l is a plan of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a portion of` Fig. 1, but showing the application-0f the heated bar; and Fig. 1S is a transverse section thereof. Fig. A is a vertical section of a modified form ol. apparatus adapted to produce hollow bars, and Fig. 15 is a longitudinal section of a mass of metal apertured to produce a hollow bar.

In the several views, in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference, Figs. l, 7 to ll, and 1i and 15 are drawn o an increased scale with respect to Figs. l, 3, 5, 6, 12, and 13.

Referring to Figs. l to 11, t represents a cylindrical pressure-chamber or container, which is open at both ends and is reversible, that is to say, capable of being turned end for end,if required. This pressure-chamber pr container is formed of steel or other suitable metal, which will withstand the high temperature required to maintain in a plastic state the-metal or alloy which is introduced therein and which will, when so heated, resist the pressure exercised by a hydraulic ram e, which forces, squeezes, or squirts the metal through the die or dies, as hereinafter described.

" The pressure-chamber or container a is screw-threaded side pieces c and' the end pieces c and 0*, the end piece c carrying the removable die d and accessory parts and the ,end piece c* carrying the ram which operates the piston or plunger f. Carried by the crosshead. c', which is centrally formed with an opening c* therein, are two jaws ci, which are pivotally, or they mightbe otherwise, mounted upon the cross-head c', and adapted to be brought together or separated by a screw or other suitable means, the oice of these jaws c2 being to facilitate the holding in position and removal o tho die d.

The die-plate rl is forme of steel or other suitable metal and an opening, which opening has the fo m of the section to be given to the wire, ro or bar to be produced, and the die d, around the said aperture, is beveled on both faces, so as to give free access to the metal or alloy a* during the squeezing process, hereinafter referred 6, to more perfectly condense the metal and to avoid unnecessary friction atter the wire, rod, or bar is formed'. l

In connectionwith'lthe pressure-chamber or container ais employed a hydraulic ram e, which acts upon an iron-or steelblock f, which latter lenters the pressure-chamberv or container a at the end opposite tothe die d, and this block or piston f is made separate or detachable from the ram, so that it may be/h'eated when required, and for this purpose it loosely yfits into the end of the ram e.

In order to produce a wire, rod, or bar, the pressure-chamber or containera is heated to near the temperature of the plastic alloy, and

the metal which is to be squeezed is then inmetal may be introduced into the pressure-V chamber or container a in a molten state, .and the furnace b may in some cases be dispensed with, the molten metal bringing the pressurechamber or container a. to the required temperature, while the metal is allowed to cool to some extent and until the required plastic condition is reached before being operated upon.

When introducing 'molten metal into the chamber a, the set-screws c5 are slackened back, the latter is' removed from the frame by any suitable foundry'ap'pliances, and the charge is inserted while the chamber a is in a vertical position, the lower end being previously closed by a plug or-cap, andthe chamber is replaced.

In some cases,v and more especially when the metal is not 'in a iuid condition, the pressure-'chamber a may, as represented at Figs. l2 and 13, be previously heated by the introduction of a heated block or cylinder of iron r steel a2, which is removed ybefore the pressure-chamber o; is charged In order to center and hold the pressurechamber or container a in position, and also' to prevent any movement thereof on the return stroke of the ram e, set-screws c", passintroduced into the pressure-chamber fr conair or steam may. during the squeezing tainer a, and the required consistency having' y d in the desired form.

In order to prevent the plastic metal in the advance of the ram or plunger` e and block or piston f being forced between the same and 'the walls of the pressure-chamberor container a, I place between the piston fand the plastic metal a dished, beveled, or annular corrugated metal plate or disk g, such as I have represented at Figs. 7 to 11, which loosely fits the bore of the pressure-chamber or container a, so that under the pressure of the ram or plunger e and block or. piston f the disk or plate g will to some extent spread and thereby closely fit the pressure-chamber or container a. and constitute an eiicient check against the passage of the metal under pressure past the same. This plate, disk, or check g is formed of a metal or alloy, such as copper, iron, steel, nickel, silver, orthe like, that is less plastic and more rigid at'the temperature at which the squeezing takes place than the metal or alloy to be operated upon in the pressure-chamber or container a.

When the plastic metal has been squeezed out of the pressure-chamber or container a, the clips or jaws ca of the cross-head c are causedto be opened and the die dlforced-out of position by the continued movement'of .the ram, after which the latter is retracted, the pressurechamber or container a is again charged with plasticl metal, the die d is replaced in position, and the above-described operation is repeated.

In the example given at Fig. 141 have shown a means of producing hollow bars according to my invention. For this purpose I arrange within the rassure-chamber or container a a mandrel of, steel or other suitable 'material, corresponding with the aperture of the die d, which mandrel 4is fixed with the block or piston f and passes through the die d, and

Vis of a suitable diameter to enable the metal a* to pass around it and through the die din suiiicient quantity-to, produce a hollow bar of the required thickness, as represented in Athe drawingsat a". In making hollow bars in this manner the metal, if it be introduced z into the pressure-chamber or container in a plastic state, must be provided with a hole, as represented at Fig. 15, corresponding with the mandrel h and intended to relieve the same ina similar manner to that represented in Fig. 14.

In some cases,-and as re resented in the drawing, Fig. 14, the man rely h is formed hollow or with a passage h' therethrough, and OP eration, be towed through auch h' to retainthemandrel h inacompart y cool state andtocoelthe hollow biaroi* afteritis formed.. Y

I sometimes introduce into-the ol the ICO IIQ

l 572,872 d s ram e a tube e', smaller than the bore, so as form a casing provided with an inlet e2 and outlet es, through which air, gas, or water may be' caused to circulate for cooling evenly the Wire, rods, or bars. This arrangement is hown for convenience in connection with `ig. l.

By the means hereinbefore described I am enabled expeditiously and economically to produce lengths of wire, rods, or bars from copper alloys of the nature above stated in various forms and,l sections.

It will be readily understood by persons conversant with the manufacture of wire, rods, or bars that the appara-tus hereinbefore described for eiecting such manufacture from variouscopper alloys can also be' advantageously employed in the manufacture ot such articles from other alloys or metals.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a device of substantially the character specified, the combination of a frame composed of the screw-threaded side pieces or bars at the ends carrying cross-heads, a pressure-chamber open at both ends for contain-l i ing the heated alloy,suitab1e means for mounting it in the frame consisting of a cross-bar working on 'the side piecesor bars and carry ing set-screws which bear against the said chamber and set-screws carried by the end piece or cross-head, a die also carried'by-the end piece or cross-head, an aperture in the, cross-heady for the .passage of lthe squeezed metal and a suitable plunger or-piston working in the chamber and actuated by a hydraulic ram carried by the frame, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device of substantially the character specified, the combination of the frame, a pressure-chamber mounted in said frame, a die located at one end of the chamber and suitable means for removably securing it in place on the end piece consisting of a pairgf jaws pivoted to the end piece and adapted o surround the die and a set-screw for holding the jaws around the die, and a piston also-carried by the frame and working in the chamber, substantially as shown and described.v

43. Ina device of substantially the character specified, the combination of the pressurechamber for containing the heated alloy, a die, a piston working in the chamber and a thin disk of metal formed with annulary corrugations` placed in front of the piston and of ahigher melting-point than the plastic alloy or metal under treatment 'so that it retains its rigidity in the presence of the heated metal and expands under pressure so as to prevent the squeezing of the las'tic metal past the piston, substantially as ereinv shown and described.

GEORGE ALEXANDER DICK. Witnesses:

J oHN EARLEs, GEO. S. VAUGHN.' 

